FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If you are new to Puratap or have a few questions about how our system works our list below can help.
If the answer you need are not covered please contact our call centre on 133 502
Regular testing by SA Water shows a number of Adelaide regions have exceeded the safe consumption guidelines – from the WORLD HEALTH ORGANISATION and their own STANDARDS of a class 3 carcinogen!
As outlined in a story on the 23rd of May 2011, in ‘The Advertiser’ (READ THE FULL STORY HERE) trihalomethanes are being detected at unacceptable levels. The Happy Valley reservoir failed these tests 30% of the time, and another reservoir in the Barossa Valley, north of Adelaide has registered trihalomethane levels of 3 and a half times the recommended limit!
SO WHAT IS A TRIHALOMETHANE?
… AND SHOULD I BE WORRIED ABOUT DRINKING THEM?
Trihalomethanes is a term used to identify chemicals that are formed during water chlorination. They are by-products of the reaction between chlorine and organic debris that is present in our water supplies.
The four most common trihalomethanes are:
- chloroform
- bromoform
- bromodichloromethane
- dibromochloromethane
These substances have been categorised by the International Agency for Research on Cancer and they have acknowledged the potential risk of these chemicals to the health of humans. Although a cause-effect relationship is difficult to define in humans, these chemicals have been shown to cause cancer in animals.
A PURATAP WILL REMOVE OVER 99% OF TRIHALOMETHANES FROM YOUR WATER
The truth is, we dont know what these chemicals can do to our body. Particularly with exposure over a long period of time. The best way to put your mind at ease? Get a Puratap!
With only an annual filter change, your Puratap GI-2600 water filter can remove over 99% of these potentially cancer causing chemicals from your water.
In South Australia, our drinking water is susceptible to contamination from iron, manganese, coliforms, cryptosporidium, giardia, nitrates and pesticides (SA drinking water report; ADWQG).
We also know that the process of chlorination creates byproducts called trihalomethanes which are present in the water.
THE PURATAP GI-2600
The Puratap GI-2600 water filter, fitted with our high quality double o’ring sealed filters, is able to remove a significant number of contaminants from your water. So what can a Puratap water filter remove, and should you be worried about having these things in your water?
The International Agency of Research on cancer recognises the need for disinfection of drinking water, but does raise some serious concerns about the consequences of chlorination by products, like trihalomethanes, which have been shown to pose a risk to health when present in water supplies! (WHO/IARC Monographs on the evaluation of carcinogenic risk to humans, volume 52).
Trihalomethanes are by products of chlorination that occur when the chlorine added to water reacts with organic matter present in the water, such as rust and dirt. Trihalomethanes is a name for a group of chemicals including chloroform (a previously used anaesthetic) and bromoform (previously used as a sedative and flame retardant). A great deal of research has been performed into the potential risk of ingestion of trihalomethanes and many studies have concerning reports. Ingestion of trihalomethanes in drinking water by humans has been linked to colon cancer (Kuo 2011, King 2000), rectal cancer (Kuo 2010, Bove 2007a, Gottleib 1982), pancreatic cancer (Chiu 2010), bladder cancer (Villanueva 2009; Bove 2007b, Villanueva 2007, Villanueva 2006, Villaneuva 2004, Villanueva 2001).
So why take the risk!
Puratap is designed, tooled, made and distributed by Australians for Australian Conditions
If it doesn’t have the BIG RED W don’t install it in your home!
The Puratap GI-2600 water filter is one of the strongest units that you can buy. It has been tested and the results show that it starts strong and stays strong! It has also been awarded a Watermark level 1 certification!
You don’t have to take our word for it though, have a look at Puratap’s independent testing proving how strong our GI-2600 is!
Puratap GI-2600 Australian standards watermark level 1 certificate.pdf
Puratap GI-2600 unit testing for ASNZS 3497.pdf
Puratap GI2600 warranty.pdf
We have done a comparison for you….
Industry Standard | Puratap | |
Does it need a Pressure limiting valve? | Yes | No |
How much pressure can it stand? | 600 kPa (88 PSI) | 4500 kPa (650 PSI) |
What is it made of? | Polypropylene | Polyacetal |
Is it likely to creep? | Yes, a lot! | Yes, minimally. |
How thick is the tubing? | 1mm | 2mm |
* ‘Industry standard’ values are representative of observations of parts used by the majority of water filter companies; and the testing levels required to meet Australian Standards (AS/NZS 3497). * Puratap figures provided are on new, non fatigued housings (GI-2600 water filter). In cases of exceptional water pressure, or with non standard plumbing fittings, a PLV may be required.
Polypropylene is highly susceptible to creep, whereas polyacetal (used in the manufacture of the Puratap GI-2600 water filter) is highly resistant to creep.
It is definitely something that you should worry about. This phenomenon of polypropylene creeping is what allows water filter units to leak and occasionally burst!
Puratap has been independently tested to be able to withstand pressure of 3500 kPa WITHOUT a PLV. This is the limit of testing that is performed under Australian Standards certification. We have tested it ourselves to withstand even higher pressure without showing any signs of weakness, but all you need to know is that with a Puratap GI-2600 water filter unit and its 10 year warranty you can have peace of mind!
The Puratap installer always carries all three, so you can decide which one you prefer on the day.
So what can Puratap do to help? Well, appreciating that you have the best system on the market with the highest quality, most expensive brass ball valve in place, Puratap will send a qualified plumber at no charge, all you pay is the cost price for the ball valve. It’s a service we offer to our valued customers who are having trouble with plumbing corrosion.
If you spot greening of your ball valve, the problem is quite urgent, so call us straight away. While we’re there, we’ll do a thorough check under your kitchen sink, to make sure everything’s in order and working the way it should be.
A Puratap unit is made from an engineering grade polyactel plastic, which is much stronger and more reliable than other units; most of our competitors’ units are made from much softer polypropylene plastic which gets weaker as it ages. Every time you turn on the tap from one of these units, the plastic stretches a little, meaning that eventually, the filters wont fit snuggly into the unit effectively and unfiltered water can bypass the filters, through the gaps.
Puratap tubing is much thicker and along with our Jaco fitting, can withstand a much higher operating pressure and Puratap ball valve fitting which is resistant to corrosion, along with its upgraded connector, make a pair with superior strength and reliability.
So weigh it up …. buy a competitor’s filter and you’ll need to get a new unit every 3-5 years… or for the same price, get a Puratap one with a 10 year guarantee? The truth is, there’s really no competition.
Puratap unit: 30cm (height) x 25cm (width) x 12cm (depth)
Standard tap: 22 cm (height) x 15cm (reach) x 2cm (width at base) x 1cm (width at spout)
Mark II tap: 22 cm (height) x 15cm (reach) x 4cm (width at base) x 1cm (width at spout)
Imperial tap: 30 cm (height) x 12 cm (reach) x 4xm (width at base) x 1cm (width at spout)
Mixer tap: 17 cm (height) x 30 cm (reach) x 5 cm (width)
Hole in the sink: 13mm diameter
The very popular mixer tap allows you to have beautiful filtered water on tap, without having an extra tap on your sink! It has a mixer handle on top for you mains fed hot and cold water, in addition to a dial for filtered water which is fed through a seperate line into the tap so that it is not contaminated with unfiltered tap water.
First, lets talk about the black stuff. This is carbon, a remnant of the manufacturing process is that inside our granulated carbon filter, and there will usually be a fine layer of carbon dust. You don’t need to worry about this, it isn’t harmful. But if you run your tap for a minute this dust should clear.
The milky appearance the water can have after the carbon has cleared is millions of tiny air bubbles which fill the tiny gaps that trap the chemicals. When water is first introduced into the filter, it forces these tiny air bubbles out. This is an important process as the water needs to touch the carbon to be effectively filtered, so all this air must be removed. Running the tap for approximately 3 minutes should clear these bubbles.
After 12 months, the food grade glue that holds the filters together will also start to lose its bonding ability. Don’t believe companies that tell you that our glue breaks down in the water and contaminates it. This is a lie that we take very seriously. We use a food grade glue so we don’t put chemicals back into your filtered water! It simply starts to become less ‘sticky’ meaning that with the pressure of the water the end caps can come loose. Water will take the path of least resistance so shoot through these holes and straight into your cup, without being filtered!
Often, the filters wont appear ‘dirty’. The carbon filter is black- so you wont see anything there, but the sediment filter is white. Sometimes, if your pipes are particularly old and rusty, or if you have had a lot of construction or road works in your area there may be visible dirt or rust on the sediment filter. Generally though, the smaller organic compounds aren’t visible and chlorine in the water acts a bleach and removes any colour from the filters.
What about buying filters from the local hardware store? The honest truth here is that they wont work in our unit. We have designed our double ‘o’ ring seal screw-in endcaps for our filters for a reason. It works better! We want to ensure that you have the best quality drinking water and the best quality filters! So what about the filters from the hardware store? Why wont they work? The design of our unit is to eliminate any possibility of water being able to squeeze past the filters without running through them. If you put a set of open ended filters designed for lesser quality units into our unit this is exactly what will be happening!
Why get your hands dirty? We are the experts at filter changes and we have a great price. It makes sense to let us do it for you!